There are many different places online that allow you to develop your family tree. Ultimately, the choice you make is dependent on many different factors.
I’ll list some of the bigger names below, and give you a brief idea of who they might be best suited for.
Please remember though, that these views are purely from my experience and perspective. It’s very important that you try them out for yourself. Your experience may be very different from mine 🙂
So, here we go…
FamilySearch – This is the site that holds my family tree. The main reason for me selecting them was that access to their records is completely free forever. You can also list as many people as you need into the tree without restriction. There are though, two big downsides. The first is that you only get access to indexes and transcribed information from historical documents, not the actual documents themselves. As we know, transcriptions aren’t always correct, but with FamilySearch there’s no way of checking the actual documents. And second, there’s no facility to export a GEDCOM file, unless you install an approved Family Tree software to your computer first. Then you can directly import from the FamilyTree website, then create a GEDCOM file from the new software.
 Ancestry – Ancestry is the oldest of the Genealogy sites. Subscribers get access to thousands of documents, as well as the index records. Two of the benefits are: Many libraries have a commercial subscription, so will give you access to the site for research purposes, for free. They also allow you to choose if you want to make your tree private, or keep it public. The biggest downside is the sheer number of search results. A simple search can return tens of thousands of results. If you don’t have much information about an ancestor, you could spend hours combing through search results. But, they offer a 14-day trial, so you can give it a go. Then various subscription packages ranging from £10.99 – 19.99 per month, depending on your requirements.
 FindMyPast – FindMyPast is probably one of the best places to find UK and Irish ancestors. Some of the benefits include: It will be the exclusive publisher of the 1921 census for England and Wales, this year (2021). It also has a relationship with the British Newspaper Archive and if you have a (Pro) subscription, you’ll have access to millions of newspaper pages from the UK. At the time of writing, the search function defaults to finding matches in British records. The biggest possible downside is only being able to see one side of a family tree at a time. Although this is a personal issue and might not be an issue for you. FindMyPast also offers a 14-day trial, with their subscription packages ranging from £8.33 – £15.66 per month (billed in 3-month blocks).
 MyHeritage – MyHeritage is aimed more at people whose ancestral reach is global. They boast 14.5 billion records, covering over 2,100 regions around the World. I liked the way they allow you to view your entire family tree on one page, or with a single click return to pedigree view. For me, this was really helpful. I also like that if you’re viewing a census record, for example, they allow you to add the information to all the other family members on the census as well. Remember though, that the number of search results can also be overwhelming with MyHeritage as well. The more information you can put into your search, the better. They too offer a 14-day free trial, but their subscription plan is different to the others. To build your tree is Free for up to 250 people, then it’s £89 per year. But, that’s all you get, the ability to build a family tree. If you want access to their data, they have two price points. The basic package, £129 per year, gives you up to 250 people in your tree, plus access to all their historical records. Their complete subscription is £229 per year and allows you to have unlimited people in your tree, all historical records access, plus additional things like smart matches and tree consistency checker. Remember though, they only offer an annual subscription package. If this might interest you though, you should probably take a look at their pricing page to see what’s on offer.
I hope this information helps, but remember to take advantage of the trial opportunities before you commit.
